Stopper rod assemblies



United States Patent 3,153,266 STOPPER ROD ASSEMBLIES Sherwood B. Seeley, Staten Island, N .Y., assignor to The Joseph Dixon Crucible Company, Jersey City, N.J-, a corporation of New Jersey Filed Dec. 12, 1961, Ser. No. 158,798 4 Claims. (Cl. 22-85) This invention relates to stopper rod assemblies.

In the steel industry, the increased steel tonnages require longer pouring time and higher pouring temperatures and have given rise to a real problem in stopper rod assemblies.

In some rod assemblies the stopper rod is inserted through a bore in the bottom of the stopper, the bore being plugged after the rod is in place. The increased pouring temperature and increased tonnages cause accelerated erosion at the bottom or nose portion of the stopper, particularly in the case of stoppers having plugged bottoms.

Moreover, it is common in stopper rod assemblies for the weight of the sleeves on the rod above the stopper to be carried by the stopper.

This invention has for its salient object to provide a stopper rod assembly having a solid nose stopper and a stopper rod mounting in the stopper so constructed and arranged that the weight of the sleeves on the rod above the stopper will be carried by the rod.

Another object of the invention is to provide simple, practical and easily assembled means for locking the stopper rod to a solid nose stopper and for supporting the sleeves on the stopper rod.

Further objects of the invention will appear from the following specification taken in connection with the drawings which form a part of this application, and in which FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional elevation of a stopper rod assembly embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on line 22 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing in elevation the sectional shield which is supported on the rod and in turn supports the sleeves above the stopper.

In the particular embodiment of the invention illustrated, there is shown a stopper having a solid nose and adapted to seat in a pouring spout 11. The stopper 10 has a substantially flat upper surface 12 and a centrally displqsed downwardly extending bore 13, and communicating therewith an undercut recess 14. At the bottom of the recess there is a downwardly extending communicating recess 15.

A stopper rod 20 having a flange 21 at the bottom thereof extends downwardly through the bore 13 and the flange 21 is disposed at least partially in the recess 15 in the stopper.

Above the flange 21 there is formed on the rod an outwardly extending collar 22 which is spaced above the flange to such an extent that the collar 22 will be disposed in the lower end portion of the bore 13 substantially at the junction of the bore with the undercut recess.

A split sleeve is mounted on the rod and comprises a pair of sections 24 and 25 which are adapted to fit around the rod 20 and rest on the collar 22. The sleeve sections are flanged at the top, as shown at 26 and 27, and the upper surfaces of the flanged portions are tapered, as shown at 28, and are substantially flat on top, as shown at 29.

As is customary, a plurality of sleeves 30 are mounted above the stopper, and these sleeves rest on the flanged portions of the sections, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, and are supported thereby.

The parts above described are assembled in the following manner. The undercut recess 14 is substantially filled with refractory cement, shown at 31, and the rod 20 is then forced downwardly through the bore 13 so that the flange 21 is positioned as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 with the refractory cement surrounding the flange and the rod portion between the flange 21 and the collar 22.

The sleeve sections 24 and 25 are then inserted in the bore 13 and rest on the top of the collar 22. Cement is preferably forced into the bore around the sleeve sections and between the upper surface of the stopper 10 and the flanges 26 and 27 on the sleeve sections and the lower surface of the sleeve 30.

It will be obvious from the above description that the parts can be easily and quickly assembled and that by reason of the coaction between the collar 22 and the sleeve sections 24 and 25, on which the sleeve 30 is supported, that the weight of the sleeve 30 and the sleeves above the sleeve which surround the rod will be supported by the rod and not by the stopper.

Although one specific embodiment of the invention has been particularly shown and described it will be understood that the invention is capable of modification and that changes in the construction and in the arrangement of the various cooperating parts may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, as expressed in the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. A stopper rod assembly comprising (a) a solid nosed stopper (b) having a downwardly extending bore and (c) an undercut recess communicating with said bore,

(d) a stopper rod having a flange at the bottom thereof and (e) having a collar fixed thereto above the flange and spaced to be disposed in the lower end of the bore,

(f) a sleeve above the collar adapted to rest thereon,

(g) said sleeve having a flange adapted to extend laterally over the upper surface of the stopper adjacent the bore and arranged to support sleeves on the rod above the stopper.

2. A stopper rod assembly comprising (a) a solid nosed stopper (b) having a downwardly extending bore and (c) an undercut recess communicating with said bore,

(d) a stopper rod having a flange at the bottom thereof and (e) having a collar fixed to the rod and disposed above the flange and spaced to be disposed in the lower end of the bore,

( a split sleeve above the collar adapted to rest there- (g) said sleeve sections having flanges adapted to extend laterally over the upper surface of the stopper adjacent the bore and arranged to support sleeves on the rod above the stopper.

3. A stopper rod assembly comprising (a) a solid nosed stopper (b) having a downwardly extending bore and (c) an undercut recess communicating with said bore,

(d) a stopper rod having a flange at the bottom thereof and (2) having a collar fixed thereto and disposed above the flange and spaced to be disposed in the lower end of the bore,

(f) a split sleeve above the collar adapted to rest there- (g) said sleeve sections having flanges adapted to extend laterally over the upper surface of the stopper adjacent the bore and arranged to support sleeves on the rod above the stopper, and

(g) said sleeve sections having flanges adapted to extend laterally over the upper surface of the stopper adjacent the bore and arranged to support sleeves on the rod above the stopper.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,280,973 Downey Oct. 8, 1918 1,736,725 She-alter Nov. 19, 1929 3,027,611 Roberts Apr. 3, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 21,098 Great Britain Sept. 10, 1910 

1. A STOPPER ROD ASSEMBLY COMPRISING (A) A SOLID NOSED STOPPER (B) HAVING A DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING BORE AND (C) AN UNDERCUT RECESS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID BORE, (D) A STOPPER ROD HAVING A FLANGE AT THE BOTTOM THEREOF AND (E) HAVING A COLLAR FIXED THERETO ABOVE THE FLANGE AND SPACED TO BE DISPOSED IN THE LOWER END OF THE BORE, (F) A SLEEVE ABOVE THE COLLAR ADAPTED TO REST THEREON, (G) SAID SLEEVE HAVING A FLANGE ADAPTED TO EXTEND LATER- 